Salary Cut Aside, M.O.E. Says It’s All About the Students

Francis Fonseca

Amid the reopening of schools in April and May, the issue of a proposed salary cut still looms.  Teachers and public officers have taken a firm stand against a reduction in the existing wage bill and government has for its part rejected the counterproposal by the joint unions.  Despite the growing tension, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca believes that all parties involved in the ongoing negotiations have the best interest of children at heart.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“I feel fairly confident that we will now be able to move forward with our plans and I think, certainly based on our initial discussions with the Belize National Teachers Union, as I said, the president of the union sits on the COVID Education Taskforce.  My sense is that we all are in this together, in terms of the reopening of schools in a safe and responsible way.  Teachers union, obviously they have a specific mandate given to them by their membership, but generally their concern has always been about ensuring that it is done safely, that it is done responsibly and that the legitimate concerns and fears the teachers have are addressed.”